


Distress Call

by Brumeier



Series: Pleasure Dome [5]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bug!John, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Time, M/M, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-20
Updated: 2014-04-20
Packaged: 2018-01-20 02:21:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1493137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/pseuds/Brumeier
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On their way to Atlantis, John and his crew receive a distress call and stop to lend a hand, and Rodney witnesses first hand the kind of bigotry John faces because of his altered appearance. There will be sexy fun times and sexist Star Trek homages.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Distress Call

John sat in the pilot’s seat on the bridge, feet propped up on the console and arms behind his head. The ship was on autopilot, zipping through hyperspace so that the view from the windows was a kind of striated blue tunnel. It was cool but there really wasn’t any reason for him to be there. The system would alert him if anything went wrong but he still liked to keep an eye on things.

They were due back in Atlantis in a little over thirty-six hours and John couldn’t wait to get back home. The Ancient interface on the _TARDIS_ was pretty basic, and didn’t hum in the back of his head the way the city did. It wasn’t even the hero’s welcome he’d likely receive for bringing Zelenka back to the fold. John just couldn’t wait to get back to Atlantis because he wanted to show her off to Rodney.

As if thinking of the man summoned him, the door to the bridge swished open and Rodney came in. John didn’t have to look to know it was him. He could detect the complex mix of scents and pheromones that made up Rodney – the mellow oatmeal soap he used for his sensitive skin, the sharp tang of dandruff shampoo, minty toothpaste, the slightly sour odor coming from the healing furrow on his arm, and the immediate heady flood of arousal that filled the room as soon as he saw John.

Lately it seemed that he spent most of his time walking around with a hard-on. It was annoyingly inconvenient except for when it wasn’t.

“What are you doing up here?” Rodney asked, dropping down into the co-pilot’s seat. “It’s late.”

“Couldn’t sleep.”

“You should try it in bed sometime. Works a lot better.”

John shrugged. Normally he slept really well, Rodney draped over him like a heavy, drooling blanket, but the closer they got to Atlantis the less that was able to comfort him. Out here, in his ship, he was in charge, he was the team leader like he used to be. As much as he loved Atlantis, which had become his home almost as soon as he set foot in the city, things had changed for him after the infection. He couldn’t help worrying that the bloom would fade off the rose pretty quick once they got back and Rodney saw what his life was really like.

Rodney leaned forward in his seat, elbows on the console. “Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and tell my six year old self that one day he’ll be sitting in a spaceship, speeding along in hyperspace. Just like in the movies.”

“Yeah. Pretty cool.” 

“What does all that look like to you?” Rodney asked, waving a hand at the window. “It must be different, with the bug eye.”

John was surprised by the question. No-one had ever asked him that before. In fact, most people studiously shied away from mentioning the parts of him that had been irrevocably changed. Of course, it was Rodney and he always said exactly what was on his mind. It was a comforting thing about him, because even without the pheromones acting as a guide John always knew where he stood in their relationship. If it could even be called that after such a short period of time.

“It’s like…I can see what you see, but then overlaid on top of that is the same image only the colors are really vibrant and there’s more detail.” It was hard to explain, even harder to get used to back at the beginning. Now it was simply just the way he viewed the world.

“Good thing you didn’t get a multifaceted eye,” Rodney said in all seriousness. “I bet that would be a pain in the ass.”

John just chuckled, and dropped his feet off the console. He leaned forward until he was close enough to kiss Rodney, which he did with slow deliberation. Rodney’s hand came up, caressing the scales on the side of his face, and John leaned into the touch. In the time since his infection no-one had touched him like that, with such intent and gentleness. He’d told himself he could live without that, live without anyone taking an interest in him romantically for the rest of his life, but it had been a lie. Sometimes he felt almost starved for that physical contact, though he tried hard not to let it show.

_Subspace distress signal detected._

The kiss ended abruptly. John drew back, startled, and looked around the bridge for the source of the sexy, slightly breathless female voice.

“It works!” Rodney beamed and rubbed his hands together. His fingers flew over the controls on the console, dropping down the HUD and displaying line after line of data.

_Subspace distress signal detected._

“What the hell did you do?”

“I tweaked the ship’s programming a little,” Rodney said. He looked entirely too smug. “Right now it’s only one way, but pretty soon I’ll have voice recognition up and running and she’ll respond to vocal commands. Just like Star Trek. Oh, you should probably drop out of hyperdrive.”

John’s hands were already on the controls, taking the ship off autopilot and carefully plotting out a stopping point. He couldn’t just put on the brakes because coming out of hyperdrive was delicate. The last thing they wanted was to get smashed by some foreign body because they didn’t take the time to make sure they had a clear path.

“Wonderful. The ship talks. But why does she sound like a phone sex girl?”

He triple-checked the readings before cutting the hyperdrive engines. The blue tunnel gave way to the blackness of space.

“Well, what’s wrong with her sounding a little sexy?” Rodney asked defensively. “I’d certainly pay more attention to that voice. You’d rather she sounds like WOPR, all soulless tech?”

“Does she have to talk at all?” John countered. “It’s…weird.”

_Distress signal triangulated. Programming coordinates._

It seemed wrong somehow to have the ship’s computer talking to him in such a husky, lusty voice. He could only assume it did something for Rodney.

“I suppose you’d prefer something more male?” Disdain dripped from Rodney’s every word, but John just smirked at him.

“Only if it’s _your_ fucked-out voice.”

As he’d hoped Rodney blushed and focused back on the task at hand. The door swished open and Ronon strode in, smelling of leather and steel and Athosian soap.

“Why are we out of hyperdrive?”

“Doesn’t anyone on this ship sleep?” Rodney grumbled.

_Distress signal origin confirmed. C-class ship, designation C-543MT9._

John looked over his shoulder to catch the big guy’s reaction to the computer’s new voice but all Ronon did was cock an eyebrow.

“We received –”

“I’m up to speed, McKay,” Ronon said. “Will we be giving aid?”

Two pairs of eyes focused on John and he felt the weight of the responsibility he held. At one time he’d resented being the leader, a position that had been unexpectedly thrust upon him, but now he reveled in it. He chose to see it as affirmation that in all the most important ways he was still the same man he’d been when he first arrived in Pegasus.

“We’ll see what’s up,” he said. “But I want everyone to proceed with caution. It could be a trap.”

“I’ll wake Teyla,” Ronon said, heading back out.

“You think it’s a trap?” Rodney smelled of worry with a dash of excitement.

“We’ll be careful.”

_Plotting coordinates to intercept._

“Here we go again,” Rodney said with a sigh.

*o*o*o*

The stranded vessel was small, meant only for a crew of two with shared living and sleeping quarters. It was entirely too cramped for John’s taste, but then he knew how lucky he was to have a Traveler ship at his disposal. It would easily fit into the _TARDIS’_ cargo bay.

“This is Colonel Sheppard of the Atlantis ship _TARDIS_ , do you copy?”

_Thank the Ancestors! This is Flaxer Mott aboard The Trelkey. We’ve lost power to our main thrusters._

“We can tow your ship aboard,” John said. “And help with repairs.”

_We would be most grateful._

“Stand by for tow. Sheppard out.” He cut the radio and looked over at Rodney. “You ready?”

Rodney rolled his eyes. “Yeah, because this is harder than reprogramming Replicator base code.”

That caught John up short. Everyone knew that re-writing the base code was the only thing that saved the galaxy from a second wave of destruction on the heels of the Wraith. The Replicators had been programmed to fight the Wraith, but to do so they’d annihilated whole planets to remove their feeding sources. Whoever changed the base code had saved countless lives, at great risk to their own.

“Were you part of that? The reprogramming?”

All he got in response was a coy look. “Ronon, are you in place?”

_Teyla and I are ready._

“Releasing tow cables.” Rodney entered the sequence into the computer that would shoot two cables out of the cargo bay, high powered magnets at the end of each one. The metallic clang as they attached to the side of the _Trelkey_ reverberated through the _TARDIS_. “Connection is good. Reeling it in.”

“How’s it looking, Chewie?” John asked over the comms.

_Coming in nice and steady._

“I’ll be down as soon as the cargo bay doors are sealed.” He looked over at Rodney, who was closely studying the monitor. “I assume fixing their thrusters will take you all of five minutes?”

Rodney snorted. “If that long. I built a nuclear bomb in grade six, so thrusters are child’s play.”

“Is there anything you can’t do?” John asked in honest curiosity. Rodney was a technological marvel, it was a wonder he’d gotten the man to leave the Pleasure Dome.

“Can’t swim.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. Okay, they’re in. Cargo bay doors are closing.” Rodney got up and dropped a kiss to the top of John’s head. “I’ll meet you down there. I have to grab my tools.”

John watched him go, the warmth from that kiss seeping into his skin. Rodney was so open with his affections, as unapologetic in that as he was in everything. It was something John had never had, even before the scales and claws.

 _Autopilot engaged_ , the computer announced breathlessly.

“Great,” John muttered on his way out the door. He always had his pistol strapped to his leg, so there was no need to stop and pick anything up, though he sincerely hoped he wouldn’t need it.

He stepped through the door into the cargo bay, relaxing incrementally when he saw that there were two children staring wide-eyed at Ronon while Teyla talked with their parents. Families were safe, more often than not, although among certain groups like the Genii it didn’t make a difference.

“Welcome aboard,” John said in his most pleasant voice. “We’ll be –”

He was interrupted by the frightened shriek of one of the little girls. After that things happened really quickly. The mother threw herself in front of the children and the father – Flaxer presumably – whipped out an energy pulse pistol, which he pointed at John’s head. Ronon and Teyla pulled their own weapons just as quickly.

“Put it down!” Ronon snarled.

“What is _that_?” Flaxer shouted.

John froze in place, a chill moving across his skin as it always did when something like that happened. It wasn’t the first time people had reacted negatively to his appearance – in the Pegasus galaxy there were humans and there were Wraith and very little in between. 

Before John could make an attempt to back out of the cargo bay Rodney came in, carrying his toolkit and arguing with Radek.

“…telling you, you’re out of your crazy Czech mind. There’s no instability…what’s going on?” Rodney came to a stop beside John, taking in the scene with the quickness inherent in everything he did.

“What is that thing?” Flaxer repeated, sounding even more agitated. Both little girls were now wailing and John could see Ronon’s finger twitching on the trigger of his pulse weapon.

The sound of Rodney’s toolkit hitting the deck made everyone freeze, if only momentarily. John put a hand out, to stop him maybe, but Rodney stepped in front of him fairly radiating rage.

“That _thing_ is Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard of Atlantis, who just rescued your ass out of the kindness of his idiotic heart. He has also saved the lives of billions of people across the galaxy, time and time again, because he’s a goddamned hero.” Rodney stalked towards Flaxer, his hand balled into fists. 

“Rodney, stop,” John said. But he wasn’t sure he meant it. His stomach clenched into knots as he listened. It wasn’t the first time that someone had come to his defense. No, that had happened many times before. But he didn’t recall anyone being quite so angry on his behalf.

“ _Colonel_ Sheppard would think nothing of trading his own far superior life for your meaningless, close-minded one. So put down you fucking gun, say thank you, and I’ll do my level best to get your asses out of here as soon as possible.”

John couldn’t see Flaxer at that point because Rodney was practically nose to nose with the man, but he saw well enough how Rodney yanked the gun out of his hand and handed it to Ronon.

There was a long moment of silence, and then Teyla was in diplomat mode, herding the family past John towards the galley with promises of food and drink while their ship was being repaired. They all kept the gazes diverted as they made their way to the door, Rodney staring holes in their backs. John opened his mouth, not sure what he even wanted to say, but then Rodney was snapping his fingers and ordering Radek to grab his toolkit and follow him on board the _Trelkey_. 

“ _Jdi do prdele_ ,” Radek muttered angrily. “Ignore that man, Colonel. He is fool.”

John watched him stalk past towards the smaller ship. “Keep an eye out,” he said to Ronon. The big guy just nodded, holstering his weapon but resting his hand on it. At a loss for what else to do, John sighed and headed back to the bridge.

*o*o*o*

Flaxer Mott and his family removed themselves and their ship from the cargo bay less than thirty minutes later, in a flurry of apologies that John only heard when he pulled up the feed from the security cameras. He’d expected Rodney to come and find him as soon as the repairs were done, but it was Ronon who came onto the bridge and sat in the co-pilot’s seat, looking boneless and at ease with his legs stretched out.

“They’re gone,” he said.

“Yeah.”

“I was wrong about McKay.” 

John raised an eyebrow at the confession and waited Ronon out. He knew the big guy only ever had his best interests at heart, and that it had taken him a while to warm up to Rodney. Not everyone could see what John had seen so early in their acquaintance, though his heroic efforts against the Bilurians had been a huge step forward in getting Ronon on his side.

“I thought he was gonna hit that guy,” Ronon said. There was nothing but approval in his voice. 

“He was pretty angry,” John agreed.

“He was angry for _you_. He hasn’t known you very long. But he _knows_ you.”

“I don’t understand it either.”

Ronon reached over and cuffed him on the back of the head. “Don’t be an idiot.”

John rubbed his head. “Ow.”

“He’s still pretty wound up. You should go take care of that.” Ronon leered at him. 

“I think I’ll catch a few hours of sleep.” John stood and stretched, pointedly ignoring Ronon’s snicker behind him. 

The door slid open for him and he made his way towards the sleeping quarters he shared with Rodney. John wasn’t sure what to even say once he got there. He certainly didn’t need Rodney to rescue him from people who couldn’t see past the scales, he’d been dealing on his own for some time now. On the other hand it was incredibly warming to have Rodney so vocally in his corner.

“Are you okay?” Rodney demanded as soon as John entered their sleeping quarters. He was pacing in small, agitated circles, which was all the small space would allow. “I almost killed that asshole. I swear it was a close thing.”

John leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. “I believe you.”

“Honestly, how do you stand that? After all you’ve done for this stupid galaxy, people should be leaving tributes at your feet and erecting statues. I should broadcast your file to every technologically-advanced civilization just so they know who they owe their continued existence to.”

“Yeah, let’s not do that.”

Rodney finally stopped his agitated pacing, coming to a stop directly in front of John. “Do you always go through that? I mean, any time you meet new people is it bad like that?”

“Well, not everyone draws down on me. But what happened today? That’s why I can’t go on off-world missions anymore.”

“It’s not right,” Rodney said. John grabbed hold of his wrist and reeled him in, pulled him close. Rodney smelled of anxiety and anger and the underlying arousal that was always there to some degree.

“Right or wrong, this is just how it is. Places like the Pleasure Dome may turn a jaded eye but for a lot of people in this galaxy I’m something to be feared.” Of course, just because it was true didn’t make it sting any less. He’d never minded being feared when it was due to his association with Atlantis, or his reputation during the Wraith war. Having it based on his appearance, something he couldn’t control, still hurt.

“I’m not afraid of you.” Rodney whispered it next to his ear while he rubbed his cheek against John’s scales.

“I’m glad.” John tipped his head to the side to give Rodney better access.

“You’re the hottest man-bug in the galaxy,” Rodney murmured, sucking on one pointy ear. The scent of his arousal swamped John’s senses. His hips jerked involuntarily and he released his hold on Rodney’s wrist, hands sliding down to grasp his hips and pull him in tighter.

“You should’ve seen me before.”

“I have. You weren’t nearly as interesting.” Rodney curled one hand around John’s neck while the other headed a bit lower, tangling with his belt.

John was finding it increasingly difficult to form a coherent thought, particularly when Rodney ran his tongue along the spines on his jaw; each one sent a starburst of pleasure straight to his cock. Thinking was overrated anyway.

“Rodney,” he moaned. He thumped his head back against the wall.

“I’ve got you,” Rodney said. He slid to his knees, unbuckling John’s pants. “Do you have any idea how hot you look in a thigh holster? Someday soon you’re gonna fuck me when you’re wearing it. And nothing else.”

“Jesus.” John pressed his palms against the wall for support. The sight of Rodney on his knees was bad enough, but his dirty mouth pushed John right to the edge. He was so hard he was aching, and nearly sobbed in relief when Rodney pushed his boxer briefs down just far enough to free his cock.

Rodney gave him an incredibly smug look before swallowing him down, and John had to close his eyes to keep from coming too soon. Rodney had a dirty mouth in more ways than one, and he was very skilled in the use of it. John gave himself up to sensation – the curl of the tongue, the suction, the delicious warm heat. It wasn’t very long before he was coming, hips jerking and breath stuttering.

“Well, that was quick,” Rodney said with a grin, wiping at his mouth with the back of his hand.

John couldn’t help the words that came out of his mouth, couldn’t help asking for something he’d never asked for from anyone. “I want you to fuck me.”

That wiped the smirk right off Rodney’s face, but John was too busy taking off the thigh holster and shimmying out of his pants to notice. It wasn’t until he started pulling his t-shirt over his head that he noticed Rodney was still on his knees, staring up at him with a blank look on his face.

“McKay? You with me?”

“We’ve never done that before,” he replied, sounding dazed. John was afraid he’d made a misstep until he saw how Rodney’s pupils were blown with lust. There was just a whiff of nerves under the desire, but John knew how to seal the deal.

“I want to ride you.”

That was all it took. Rodney practically fell over his own feet trying to get to the bed and get undressed at the same time. The power dynamics in their relationship had been clear even from the very first time they’d fucked, when John was certain that he’d never see Rodney again after. The man liked to be dominated. He was the bossiest power bottom John had ever met, and when they had time and better accommodations he was going to see how Rodney did with restraints.

“Heads up!” Rodney called from the bed, tossing John the lube while simultaneously trying to pull off his socks. “I want to watch you.”

John closed his eyes and took a moment to catch his breath. If Rodney kept that up he’d be hard again so fast it would be a Guinness Record Book achievement. It had never been like that for him before, not with anyone, and he wasn’t fool enough to waste the opportunity.

He joined Rodney on the bed, straddling him. He coated his fingers in lube and started prepping himself, slower than he wanted but it had been a very long time since he’d touched himself that way. The burn and stretch was good, really good, but it was nothing compared to the look Rodney was giving him.

“You have no idea how hot you are right now,” he groaned. He couldn’t keep his hands still, running them up over John’s thighs, his sides, his chest. The press of Rodney’s fingers against the scales was nearly enough to make him hard again. “How long has it been since you’ve done this?”

“Before today? Never.” John closed his eyes as he rocked back on his fingers, the burn fading to pleasure. Rodney made a strangled sound beneath him and John’s eyes popped open in alarm. 

“You can’t…Christ, John!” Rodney had hold of his cock at the base and it looked like he was trying to strangle the thing to death.

“Virgin ass make you nervous, McKay?” John asked, amused. Rodney flushed.

“I can’t believe you’ve never…are you sure about this? I mean, if you haven’t given your ass up to anyone before now, maybe it’s just not your thing? Which is totally okay! The way were doing it before was…was…ungh.”

There were always new and fun ways of shutting Rodney up, and John impaling himself on Rodney’s cock was a good one. He nudged Rodney’s hand out of the way, replacing it with his own lube-slicked one, and slowly lowered himself. No amount of preparation would have been enough for this. Even with lube giving Rodney’s cock easier passage he seemed too much, too big. And then he was all the way in and John threw his head back, panting.

Rodney had been reduced to inarticulate sounds, his hands clutched in the bed sheets so tight his knuckles were white. He was clearly trying not to move, which John appreciated as he took a moment to get used to the feeling of a cock up his ass. When he was ready he moved a bit, experimentally, and oh…that felt so good!

John knew he was making embarrassing sounds himself but he didn’t care. The more he moved on Rodney’s cock the better it felt, especially when Rodney finally detached himself from the sheets and started actively rocking up into John, hands gripping tightly to his hips.

“Rodney,” he said a little brokenly.

“I know,” Rodney panted. “Jesus. John…you feel so good. Not gonna last.”

In response John leaned back, bracing himself on his hands, and was rewarded by Rodney’s face going completely slack, his pupils so blown there was only a thin band of blue visible. He dragged one hand down the long length of John’s body, the scaly side, and John’s cock valiantly tried to rise to meet the challenge. But then Rodney’s hips stuttered as he came and John let himself fall forward, curled over Rodney’s torso with his head on Rodney’s shoulder, body trembling.

“You have the best ideas,” Rodney said, his words slurring just a little.

All John could do was nod his head. He hadn’t realized being fucked would feel _that_ good, but now that he did he was definitely doing it again. Just as soon as he could muster the energy.

*o*o*o*

It took a while for John’s higher functions to come back online. He lay beside Rodney in their bed, sated and pleasantly sore, enjoying the hint of sex musk that lingered in the air. Soon the ship’s ventilation system would scrub it away completely.

“What did you mean before? When you said you’d seen me?”

Rodney, whose brain never seemed to stop working, knew exactly what he was talking about. “Do you honestly think I didn’t hack your SGC files the first opportunity I had? They have a picture of you from before the scales.”

“But you like me better this way?” John couldn’t help asking because it didn’t make any sense. Flaxer Mott wasn’t the first to see him as a monster, but Rodney hadn’t. Not once.

“Don’t ask me to explain it, because I don’t know why. And if you’re fishing for compliments because you’re really a girl on the inside, you already know I think you’re incredibly sexy.”

John let out a huff of laughter and curled into Rodney’s warmth, humming happily at the hand that stroked up and down his hip. When he’d recovered from the Iratus virus, when he’d seen the new face staring back at him in the mirror, John had thought his life was over. Surely they’d kick him out of Atlantis, and since he couldn’t go back to Earth looking the way he did, he’d have been a man without a home.

It had honestly surprised him, the support he received afterwards. General O’Neill had fought everyone from the IOA to the President of the United States to keep John on Atlantis, to keep him on the Air Force payroll. Teyla and Ronon had never wavered, never doubted for a moment that he could keep doing his job. Even Caldwell had grudgingly admitted the he belonged on Atlantis. But they’d all known him before the change. Rodney was the first complete stranger to accept him, immediately and without reservation.

He was the first person to make John feel like the man he used to be.

As he drifted off to sleep, content on a level he never had been in his life, John thought it would be very easy to fall in love with Rodney McKay.

**Author's Note:**

>  **AN:** Another delay in Rodney getting to Atlantis, but John wanted to have a chance to tell a story from his POV. I thought it would be a good opportunity to examine what life is like for him post-virus. And of course there had to be sexy fun times, because clearly I’m as much a perv for scales as Rodney is. ::grins::
> 
> I’m only planning one more fic in this series. I have no idea if my muse agrees with that or not, so we’ll see how it goes. Coming up: Atlantis!


End file.
